1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to excavator buckets of the kind that are commonly used with backhoes, dragline buckets, or shovel dippers which are provided with a working or cutting edge for the purpose of engaging and displacing the earth which may then be picked up in the shell of the bucket.
In equipment of this nature it is essential that the cutting edges of the implements associated with the bucket be securely mounted in order to withstand the stresses which are incurred in their operation and also to permit their ready replacement in the event that the implements are broken, worn, or become dull or otherwise need to be replaced.
Furthermore, a unit may be called upon to perform various kinds of work depending upon the terrain on which it is being used. For example, the common use of a bucket of this type is to break up and scrape the earth and to remove dirt that is picked up in the bucket, such operation normally requiring a series of spaced teeth. Other operations desirably, in addition to a series of spaced teeth, require colters, or teeth at a different angle or elevation with respect to the remaining teeth.
In other uses the bucket may be provided with a straight bar that is used for landscaping or grading rather than for digging earth.
Therefore, it is desirable that a bucket be employed onto which a variety of implements may be mounted with a minimum of effort, which can be easily replaced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes various buckets or excavating implements in which the teeth or portions thereof may be replaced, sometimes as individual tools and sometimes in groups. Examples of patents disclosing equipment of this nature are Clark U.S. Pat. No. 1,540,314; Mulally U.S. Pat. No. 1,757,328; Hahn et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,177; and Klett et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,853. In the above patents the implements appear to be detachable either individually or in groups by means of rivets or other fastening means which extend through the floor or working surface of the bucket, itself, and in which a multiplicity of connecting members is involved, thereby entailing a substantial amount of effort and time for substituting various implements.
The patents to Haynes U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,849, and Bronson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,070 disclose buckets in which the bottom or teeth members may be adjusted outwardly from the lower bottom of the bucket, in order that various functions may be accomplished due to such adjustment.